Orphan Train Romance 1 - 5 (39 page)

“I guess so,” Sage gravely gave her permission.  “But can we leave after that?”

“I understand that you are excited, but we need to finish the morning chores.  You will need to be patient,” Anna answered for Luke.  He nodded his head slightly and gave a look of gratitude to Anna.  Sometimes he had a hard time knowing how to deal with so much excitement in his daughter.

Luke quickly ate his breakfast while Anna directed Sage to pick up her wooden blocks that were scattered in the corner of the kitchen by the wood stove.   Alex helped Anna finish washing the last of the dishes.   Luke listened as Alex made sure Anna still felt good enough to go on the long wagon ride to the nearby town, Pine Valley, where they would be meeting the train.   Luke knew Alex was concerned because she was due to give birth in less than a month.  He listened as Anna firmly and almost curtly informed her husband she was fine and she wasn’t going to miss seeing her friends or Paul’s and Serena’s wedding for anything.   Her comment made Luke remember how testy his late wife, Pamela, had been while she was carrying Sage, although he knew she had been testy for other reasons, too.   Luke stood up and gave his empty plate to Anna to be washed and turned to Sage.

“Why don’t you come outside with me?” he asked her as he held his hand out.   “Come help me check to make sure the wagons are ready to go.”

Sage tossed the last of the blocks into their box and ran to grab his hand.    Outside, Luke could see two wagons that were hitched up to some of their largest horses and were ready to go near the closest barn.   They had all agreed they needed two wagons so that after Paul’s wedding, he could drive back with Serena alone and they could take their time, while the others would return to the ranch.

Thirty minutes later, everyone was on their way to pick up Serena and Katrina.   Luke drove one wagon with Sage while Alex, Anna and Paul drove in the other one.  

For the first little while, Sage chatted in her usual way.   She told Luke all about what she thought of the new teacher coming (which Luke had already heard multiple times) and about what she had played with Aida the day before (they played with their dolls and Aida’s brother lost his ball in a field).  She wanted to know what the names of the birds were that she saw in the trees as they rode by (a crow, a meadowlark, and a robin).  After answering the questions about the flowers she saw, Luke finally suggested she lay down in the back of the wagon bed to look at the clouds and see if she could find any animal pictures in them.   Luke knew she was tired since she had not slept very much the night before because she was so excited for the events that were going to happen that day.  He was hoping she would take a nap.

His idea worked and soon Sage was sound asleep.  He sighed with relief as he continued to drive the wagon, following the wagon the others were in.  He started to think about all the changes that had happened in the last few months.   A little over a year ago, Alex had brought Anna to the ranch to be a mail-order bride to Luke.  His brother had thought it would be a good idea to provide Luke with a bride because he was still struggling with his late wife, Pamela’s death.  Luke, of course, did not appreciate the thought.  The situation worked out because Alex ended up falling in love with Anna and married her instead.  Luke shook his head and thought to himself that Alex really did not know him very well if he actually thought bringing in another woman would replace his wife.

Luke inadvertently started to think about Pamela.  He remembered how he met her.  She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, with her jet-black hair and dark eyes.  She had come to visit some of her relatives on a nearby ranch for the summer and they met at a barn raising and dance.  It was love at first sight for Luke.  It took him a few months, but he was finally able to convince Pamela to agree to marry him and stay in Montana. 

After the marriage, things went well for a while.  He did his best to keep her happy since he knew she had given up a lot to marry him.  She had come from a very influential family back east and had grown up with a lot of privileges.  None of the smaller cabins had been built at that time and she hated living in the main ranch house with his brothers.  Luke could understand that and immediately had their little cabin built so they could have some privacy. 

Luke soon learned that nothing he did would keep Pamela happy.   She constantly talked about wanting to move back east to be near her family.  She hated the ranch, the cold winters, the dusty summers.  Luke was not about to move and leave the ranch his father had given his life for.  Ranching was all he knew.  Even becoming pregnant with Sage did not change things.  When Sage was born, he had hoped Pamela would settle down now that she was a mother, but Pamela was even more determined to return back east.  She gave only the bare minimum of care to Sage.

Then one morning, when Sage was about three years old, Pamela had woken up with a bad pain in her lower stomach.  At first, Luke had ignored her complaints since she was always complaining about some ailment to get out of doing any work, but by lunchtime that day, Luke realized the pain was real and had sent a ranch hand to Pine Valley for the doctor.  By the time the doctor had arrived later that afternoon, it was too late.  Pamela had died just an hour before.  Once the doctor had heard of the symptoms, he had suspected her appendix had burst.  There was nothing the doctor could have done. 

After the initial shock of Pamela dying, Luke started to realize that although he had loved her when he married her, those feelings had slowly faded about the time Sage had been born.  He had seen that Pamela had not cared about their daughter.   After Sage’s arrival, he had continued to care about Pamela, mainly because she was the mother of their daughter.  If she had not died, he knew he probably would have agreed to take her back east for a long visit.

About six months after her death, he decided to go through her belongings and send some of her things to her family back east.   He wanted to keep some of Pamela’s things for Sage and maybe give the rest of her things to the reverend in town, who in turn could give the items to people who might need them.

After he went through most of her things, dividing her belongings into two piles to keep and to give away, he found a small wooden box.   Inside, he discovered a stack of letters with a rose-colored ribbon tied around them.   Thinking that they were letters from her family back east, he almost set the letters aside, but for some reason he decided to read the top letter.  What he found changed his entire thinking of the female species and especially his late wife.

Evidently, Pamela had been writing another man for over a year before she died.   Luke knew she had been receiving and sending letters quite often, but he attributed them to be letters from her family back east.   He remembered how upset she was when she could not mail a letter because of the winter months.   As he read the letters, he found out that she was actually planning on leaving him.   She was going to take Sage and head back east to be with this man.  

At first, Luke was shocked at what he was reading, but those feelings passed quickly, and extreme anger replaced them.  Before he knew it, he found himself building a large fire out by the barn with the idea to burn the letters, but he ended up burning everything of Pamela’s.   Even as he thought about these events now, he did not regret what he did.   In a way, it was symbolic to him, burning away those years of his life.   Eventually, he was able to admit to himself that he did not regret marrying Pamela because, if he hadn’t, he would not have Sage, and she was the best thing that happened to him.  

When they arrived in town, Luke made arrangements to park the wagons beside the blacksmith’s shop until after the wedding had taken place.

They made it to the train station just in time because about five minutes later the train pulled into the station.   Anna walked up onto the platform holding Sage’s hand, showing excitement as people started to leave the train.   A few moments later two women stepped off the train and Anna moved as quickly as her condition would let her towards them.

Luke watched the reunion between the three women and his eye instantly went to the woman Anna was hugging.   She was beautiful in her brown traveling dress.  She had blond curly hair and the bluest eyes he had ever seen.   He turned away abruptly and wished he could just head back to the ranch by himself.  The last thing he wanted was to be around a beautiful woman.  He hoped this woman would be the one Paul was to marry.

“Come meet my friends,” Anna said as she gestured to the three brothers to come close to her.  Luke reluctantly turned around for the introductions. 

“This is Serena and Katrina,” Anna introduced her friends as she pointed to them.  Then she pulled Alex close to her.  “This is my husband, Alex, and his two brothers, Luke and Paul.”

Luke’s heart jumped a bit when he realized the woman with the blond hair was Katrina, the new schoolteacher.  

****

Katrina stepped off the train behind Serena and watched as Anna walked up to them, holding a little girl’s hand.   She noticed that her friend was expecting and it did not look like she had much longer before the baby was going to be born.  

“It is so good to see you both,” Anna said as she hugged them.   The three of them hung onto each other for a long moment, relishing with the fact that they were together again.

After releasing each other, Anna proceeded to introduce her new husband and family.   Katrina was instantly drawn to the oldest brother, Luke, although she had vowed to herself to stay away from men for the next year while she focused on her new job.  She wanted a break from the male species.  She tried not to notice that he was the most handsome man she had ever met.  All three of the brothers had the same dark brown hair that curled a bit under their cowboy hats.  The three of them were the best-looking men she had ever seen.  

“Who is this?”  Katrina asked as she squatted down in front of the child who was still grasping Anna’s skirts.

“This is Sage, Luke’s daughter,” Anna introduced her.   “She will be attending your school when it starts.”

“Hello, Sage,” Katrina said to the child.   “How old are you?”

“Sage held up five fingers.   “Pa says I am old enough to go to school.   I can’t wait.   Aida can’t wait either.”

“Who is Aida?”

“My best friend,” Sage replied.

“I am looking forward to teaching you,” Katrina said and then stood up, noticing Luke standing near his daughter in a protective stance.

“Mr. Bridger, thank you for giving me the opportunity to teach at your school.  I am looking forward to starting the school year as soon as I can,” she remarked as she held out her hand in greeting.

“You’re welcome.   I hope you will be able to handle the job,” the big man muttered to her, looking her up and down almost in disgust.  He barely touched her hand as he shook it.   It seemed to her he dropped her hand and stepped back away from her as soon as he could.   She was puzzled at his response.   He did want her to come and teach, didn’t he?  She hoped Anna wouldn’t have brought her here if she really wasn’t wanted. 

“Of course, I can handle the job.”  Katrina felt she needed to clarify her skills.  “I am a certified teacher and I have taught in Maple Grove’s school for…”

“I am sure you are qualified, but are you going to be able to handle living in Montana?” Luke asked her as he looked at her directly, then strode away alone, leaving her with the group.  

She glanced at Anna with a question in her eyes.  Anna shook her head slightly but smiled in encouragement.   Katrina knew she meant that they would need to talk later.

Katrina watched as Serena talked quietly with Paul and noticed that the man seemed entranced with her.   She could tell Paul was enthralled with his new bride.  Katrina was happy for her friend and silently wished her and Paul well as they started their new life together.

The next few hours were a blur to Katrina.   The small group walked to the reverend’s home so Serena and Paul could be immediately married.   Once inside the well-kept home, Serena was given a room in which to clean up and change into the dress she had brought to be married in with Katrina’s and Anna’s help.  

At one point, she slipped out of the room to throw out a large bowl of water and get some fresh when she overheard the brothers talking to each other in the parlor as they waited.  

“Are you sure you want to get married?”  She heard Luke ask Paul and she paused just outside the room to see what Paul would say.   If Paul had changed his mind, she wanted to make sure Serena knew about it before she said her vows.

“Of course,” she heard Paul respond to his brother, impatience in his voice.   “Just because you don’t like the idea of marrying again…”

“I know!  I know!  Forget I said anything!”  Katrina heard Luke storm out of the house. 

“Don’t let Luke get to you,” Alex advised Paul as he slapped a hand on his shoulder.   “I don’t think he really means it, deep down.”

Katrina then realized she was eavesdropping and quickly made her way into the kitchen for fresh water.   While she performed her chore, she thought about what she had heard.   She wondered what made Luke so against marriage.   Anna had written little about Luke and so Katrina did not know very much about him.   All she knew was that he was a widower and the father of Sage and that he felt a tremendous responsibility as the oldest of the brothers and the ranch.   She thought it was admirable of him to provide an education for his daughter along with the other children that lived on his ranch.  It was one of the reasons she had wanted to take the position of the schoolteacher.  She felt all children should have an opportunity for an education, not just those who lived in towns or large cities.

She shook her head and decided to think about what she had heard later.   At least she knew Paul did want to marry Serena.   She quickly filled her bowl with fresh warm water from the reservoir on the stove and walked back to the room to continue to help Serena prepare for her wedding to Paul.

A short while later, the group was again standing in front of the two wagons.   The wedding between Serena and Paul had been performed and Katrina learned that they would be staying in town and picking up some supplies before traveling in one wagon alone so they could get acquainted.   The rest of the group would be traveling back together in the other wagon.   Katrina could tell Luke was anxious to leave and soon they were on their way.

The drive to the ranch was long for Katrina.  She learned from Anna that it was about a two-hour drive from the town to the ranch and she tried not to feel impatient when she heard this. She was so tired of traveling and the stress of constantly looking over her shoulder, watching out for the Porters or Joshua.  She would be glad when she could arrive on the ranch where, instinctively, she knew she would be safe. 

She tried to pay attention to the surroundings while the wagon slowly moved forward.  She could see the same range of mountains she had seen on the train, but they were substantially closer.  She hoped she would be able to explore them soon.  They were beautiful.  She enjoyed Sage and her chatter and was grateful for the child because she kept her mind off of what she had left behind.

****

Two hours later, they arrived at the ranch, and Katrina looked around in awe.   She loved what she could immediately see.   There was a large ranch house that had been painted in white.  This house was surrounded by three other smaller cabins which were made out of logs.   She saw curtains flutter in some of the windows.   She could tell that all the buildings were well cared for.   She saw another large building a short distance away from the large ranch house that she assumed was a barn.   There were many fenced fields that had cattle or horses in them.   There were also other small cabins and buildings further away behind the barn that she later learned were homes for the ranch hands who had families, along with a slightly larger building where meals for the ranch hands were served.

Katrina wondered where she would be staying, and she soon learned that the main ranch house was for the use of everyone in the family.   Anna gave her a quick tour and she saw a good-sized kitchen with a large table and chairs in the middle of it.   There was a room about the same size as the kitchen right next to it that had sofas and chairs, with a sewing machine in the corner.   Katrina knew this was a room that the family likely gathered in during the evenings.  

There were two small bedrooms behind the kitchen and living room which were not in use at the moment, which puzzled her until she learned that the three small cabins that surrounded the large ranch house were the living quarters for each brother.   Luke and Sage lived in one, Anna and Alex shared another, and the third had been built for Paul who would share it with Serena as they started their lives together.   Those cabins were only used to sleep in since they all gathered in the main house for meals and other activities.   At the moment, Anna did the cooking for everyone, but Katrina knew that Serena would be helping her with that chore.

Katrina thought the setup of the way the Bridgers lived was smart, but wondered where she would be sleeping.   After the small tour of the ranch house and cabins, she looked around the land wondering where the schoolhouse was located.

Anna immediately knew what she was looking for.   “You can’t really see the schoolhouse from here,” she explained.   “But it is over in that direction.”  Anna gestured towards the west of the ranch towards the mountains nearby.   “There is a small cabin close by the schoolhouse where you will be living.  The schoolhouse is about 30 minutes away in walking distance.”

Katrina felt a little disappointed that she would not be staying at the ranch with Anna and the others, but she smiled at Anna and tried to hide her feelings.   “The Bridger ranch must be very large if it will take 30 minutes to walk there.”

“Actually the ranch is called the Big Spring Ranch, named after a large spring that winds throughout the land from the mountains.”  Anna smiled as she slipped her arm around Katrina’s waist.   “Luke thought it would be best if you lived near the schoolhouse so it would be easier for you to get there in the mornings.   You won’t need to worry about your safety.   You will be fine living there and you will be close enough we can see each other often.”

Katrina nodded her head in agreement, but still wished she would not be living alone.   She reminded herself that she was embarking on a new life and she needed to be mature and accept any changes she needed to make.

“When can I see the schoolhouse and my home?” she asked as brightly as she could.   Luke had come up behind them with that familiar scowl on his face and she wanted to make sure the man knew she was willing and anxious to start her new job.

Anna turned to Luke to question him, and he almost growled, “I can take you out there later today.”

Katrina felt a panic in her chest.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone with Luke, especially since he seemed not to like her.  She was grateful when Anna quickly spoke.   “Why don’t I go with you?  We can plan to leave right after we eat something.”

“That will be fine, as long as you are feeling up to it,” Luke told her with a calmer voice, smiling at her.   Katrina’s heart missed a beat as she realized it was the first time she had seen him smile at anyone that day.   Maybe it was a good thing he did not smile very much because even with the small grin he had given Anna, Katrina’s heart had skipped a little.  The last thing Katrina wanted was to be drawn to him because of a smile.  

“I’m fine,” Anna assured Luke, smiling back at him.   “I would like to make sure Katrina has everything she needs in her new home.”

Luke nodded at Anna’s words but did not look at her.   He was looking at Katrina with an unreadable look.   Katrina was tempted to look away, but held her ground, letting him know he could not intimidate her.   He grunted again and strode away towards the barn.